How three Americans got caught in the middle of a coup attempt in Congo

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A military court in Congo, one of Africa’s largest countries, has sentenced three Americans and dozens of others of participating in a coup attempt and imposed “the harshest punishment, the death penalty”.

The court convicted the 37 defendants, including the three Americans, and imposed the death penalty in a verdict delivered by presiding judge Maj. Freddy Ehuma in an open-air military court hearing.

The defendants, most of whom are Congolese, but also include a Briton, a Belgian and a Canadian, are accused of, among other things, terrorism, murder, criminal association and illegal possession of weapons.

The lawyer for the six foreigners said they would appeal the verdicts.

The US State Department demands advises against travelling to Congowarned of violent crimes and unrest. The three Americans found themselves in the middle of the coup attempt.

What happened during the coup attempt in May

In Congo's capital Kinshasa, a motley crew, including three Americans, attempted to the country's president, Felix TshisekediThey were led by a little-known opposition politician, Christian Malanga, who sold used cars and tried his hand at gold mining before persuading his Utah-born son to take part in the foiled coup.

The coup attempt began at the Kinshasa residence of Tshisekedi's close ally Vital Kamerhe, a federal lawmaker and candidate for speaker of Congo's National Assembly. His guards killed some of the attackers, officials said.

Christian Malanga, meanwhile, broadcast a live video from the presidential palace in which he can be seen surrounded by several armed men in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed when he resisted arrest, Congolese authorities said.

Dozens, including Malanga's son and two other Americans, were arrested and taken to a maximum security prison in Kinshasa. Family members said the young men slept on the floor, had health problems and had to pay for food and hygiene products.

Christian Malanga, the unlikely coup leader

Malanga, who was born in Kinshasa, had described himself as a refugee who did well after settling in the United States with his family in the 1990s. He said he became leader of a Congolese opposition party and met senior politicians in Washington and the Vatican. He also described himself as a devoted husband and father of eight children.

Court records and interviews paint a different picture. In 2001, when he turned 18, Malanga was convicted in Utah of assault with a firearm, which resulted in a 30-day jail sentence and three years of probation. That same year, he was charged with domestic violence in one case and assault and disturbing the peace in another, but he pleaded not guilty and all charges in both cases were dropped.

In 2004, he was charged with domestic violence with threat of use of a dangerous weapon, but he pleaded not guilty and the charges were again dropped. Since 2004, he has several cases on file related to a custody dispute and a child support dispute.

How three young Americans became involved in an attempted coup

The three Americans detained are Malanga’s 21-year-old son Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson, Jr.21, who flew with the younger Malanga from Utah to Africa for what his family believed was a free vacation, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who is said to have known Christian Malanga through a gold mining company.

Marcel Malanga, a U.S. citizen born in Utah, testified in court that his father threatened to kill him and Thompson if they did not take part in the attack.

His mother, Brittney Sawyer, said her son was innocent and was merely following the orders of his father, who considered himself the president of a shadow government in exile.

Thompson was his high school friend and football teammate in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan. He was the only former teammate to accept Marcel Malanga's invitation to travel to Congo, several other players told the Associated Press. They were invited on what the younger Malanga alternately described as a family vacation or a work trip to build wells. Other teammates claimed Marcel Malanga offered to up to 100,000 US dollars to assist him with a “security job” in Congo.

Thompson's family claims he knew nothing of the elder Malanga's intentions, had no plans for political involvement and did not even intend to enter Congo. He and the Malangas were only supposed to travel to South Africa and Eswatini, said his stepmother Miranda Thompson.

This is how it continues

All those convicted have five days to appeal the verdict. Richard Bondo, the lawyer who defended the Americans and three other foreigners, said he plans to do so.

Congo the death penalty reintroduced The move lifted a moratorium that had been in place for more than two decades earlier this year as authorities seek to curb violence and militant attacks in the country. The men convicted in the coup attempt are likely to be executed by firing squad.

The U.S. State Department has not declared the Americans' detention unlawful, so it is unlikely that U.S. officials will try to negotiate their return.

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Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal and Schoenbaum from Salt Lake City.